Let’s Enfleurage!

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[4] Glass—not plastic—platters, plates, or soup bowls, in identical pairs.

[5] Adhesive tape.

[6] A measuring cup'.

[7] A fine-sieve strainer.

[8] Glass-not plastic-bottles with tight-fitting caps or stoppers.

[9] A glass rod or piece of coat hanger to use when stuffing chunks of pomade into bottles (optional).

[10] A small, non-plastic funnel.

[11] A clean eyedropper.

[12] Several bottles of 70% isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol, or 90% ethyl alcohol.

[13] Oil of cedar or oil of sandalwood. (Obtainable at the drugstore.)

In addition to the above items, of course, you'll need fresh flowers. I didn't mention flowers before because I didn't want to encourage you to go out and pick them before they're needed. Remember that to be suitable for enfleurage, blossoms must be fragrant ... and to be fragrant, they've got to be fresh. So don't go running off to the garden just yet ... I'll tell you when.

PURIFY YOUR FAT FIRST

The first and most important step in enfleurage is the deodorization /purification of the fat.

If you're planning to use store-bought lard—which is already pure enough for our purpose—simply place the chunk of lard in a pan, melt it over low heat, and go on to the next step.

If, however—like me—you count yourself among the hardy souls who revel in creating things from scratch, you'll naturally want to start with a hunk of beef suet in a large pot. Add enough water to cover the mound of fat and dissolve a teaspoon of alum in the liquid. Then boil gently for 45 minutes, adding hot water as needed to keep the pot from going dry. (Don't let it boil dry or the fat may scorch ... in which case you'll have to throw the suet away and start again, since a burnt odor cannot be removed from fat.)

After the 45-minute boil, remove the chunk of suet, and allow the remaining mixture to cool somewhat so that the grease can rise to the top and slightly congeal. When the fat has risen, skim it off and put it into a bowl or other container, then [1] clean out the pot, [2] put the partially purified (congealed) suet back in, and [3] begin the cleansing procedure again using the same amount of water and alum. Boil once more for 45 minutes, allow to cool, and remove the fat.

Repeat the above cycle as many times as necessary to obtain completely odorless fat, separating out—in the process—any impurities you may have noticed in the suet. I can't emphasize too strongly that before going on to the next step, your purified fat should be as free of scent as possible.

HOW TO MAKE POMADE

After the last round of boiling, remove the thoroughly cleansed grease from the water and allow it to cool to the consistency of chilled molasses.

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